Pelita Jaya Can Celebrate the IBL 2026 at the Hornbills Headquarters

JAKARTA - Pelita Jaya Basketball Jakarta needs one more victory to win the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) 2026 after defeating Bogor Hornbills in the third game of the final round.

David Singleton's squad won the duel against Bogor Hornbills with a score of 74-61 in the third game of the best-of-five format at GOR Laga Tangkas, on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, WIB night.

Perrin Bufford returned to his best form by scoring a triple-double (17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists). Jeff Withey added 11 points 11 rebounds and Andakara Prastawa Dhyaksa scored 13 points.

"Our loss in the second game is not the end of everything. We try to stay focused and think positively. Before this match, we talked about how to be a better team," said Bufford as quoted from the IBL official website.

With this victory, Pelita Jaya is now 2-1 ahead and closer to the IBL championship this season. They also have the opportunity to celebrate the title at the opponent's headquarters if they can record the same result again.

"The coach gave a good game plan. He gave clear instructions on how to face each opponent. This makes us more confident, while still trusting each other in our team," said Bufford.

Pelita Jaya played more aggressively in the third game, both in attack and defense. On the other hand, the Hornbills had difficulty entering the paint area.

Bufford and his colleagues confidently appeared to be able to make double-digit points in the first half with 12 points (40-28). Meanwhile, there were no easy shots for the Hornbills players, especially the foreign trio, Travin Thibodeaux, Kaleb Wesson, and Stephaun Branch.

Hornbills lost their direction when the match entered the second half. This situation made Pelita Jaya continue to maintain the lead until the end of the match.

Pelita Jaya put in 24 points in the paint, 13 second chance points, and 10 fast break points. They also converted nine turnovers of the Hornbills into 14 points.

The most striking difference from the previous appearance was that Pelita Jaya only scored seven turnovers. Unlike the 22 turnovers in the second game last weekend.

On the other hand, the Hornbills have problems with fouls. Thibodeaux was forced to leave the game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter for committing five fouls. Kaleb Wesson also committed four fouls even though he didn't foul-out.

Stephen Branch scored 23 points for the Hornbills, followed by Wesson (13 points and 13 rebounds), and Thibodeaux (12 points, eight rebounds, and six assists).

The fourth match will still take place at the Hornbills' headquarters. This will be a decisive match for Pelita Jaya. If they win then the title will be theirs.

If the Hornbills win, then the decisive game or the fifth will be held at the PJ Arena.